The Osceola times., 1887-12-10
nodded by the grip Of her hand and

-, ~"N oOo hON you We treated mel
my darling girlr'
Don't you come around in nv sight
any more. And go marry somebody
that won't cause any dropping. l can
stand it,"
81 believe you can" he sneered.
"Yes, indeed l can stand it. So good
bye TO you"
Saying which, Beetrus turned and
scudded of, through Spanish needles
and boggy spots, until his first half
uttered remonstrance had been for
some time changed into language of
another sort 1t seemed long before
Beetrus found log on which She could
draw herself face downward, with her
arms stretched beyond her head. The
White Dove moved of from Wabash
Landing two hours behind her ap-
pointed time. She was a dirty little
boat, carrying a miscellaneous freight,
but among the barrels on the after
deck some hard-favored and much
whitfield chairs had been placed for
J ~ q A0 anu il'l ilbllltls
The young girl herself stood by the
rope which served for railing, and saw
her own hcartache color all those fair
distances. Downy swells of remote
banks and bold juts of rock were copied
in the river, So ruilleless did il seem to
| lie even when the strong current was
| moving. A blue heron stood at the
water edge meditating, with one foot
| planted on sand and the other tucked
up inyisibly. 1t slightly spread its
mighty wings, shook them, and folded
them again 10 place, without appearing
| TO break the trance of its downward
stare. When the White Dove churned
along, shadows stretched upon the
Wabash. Now it was very late after
noon, and now it threatened TO be even
ing, with a hint that by and by it would
be night, when you might expect the
woods to make deep black borders
along the river. and the canopy of stars
to look smeared by the little steamer ;
! smOke-staCk.
When Beetrus was pale and tired she
turned and leaned against her mother
an ample, indulgent woman, who
nevertheless had one bristling mole
upon the right side of her face. She
broke the tacit silence in which they
had begun their journey by declaring:
"AIa, love you.'
you don't often put body out tell
ing them that, responded Mrs. Jen-
kins, uttering a gratified laugh.
II keep up dreadful loving, though" "
said Beetrus, casting sidewise at the
river black eyes which swan in waters
Of their own
You're my baby" said her m9ther,
patting the slim hand fondling hel
neck. There's plenty of pretty young
men in the world, but there's only one
old mother"
Il don't care any thing about the
young men" said Beetrus, with strong
scorn. II was thinking good while
in the woods to-day, coming from the
post-oflice, and I've made up my mind
never to get married" "
You'll turn around often enough
before the time comes"
II never will,n emphasized Beetrus,
"We'll be two nice old ladies together,
ma, and neither of US will getmarried. "
II won't, for sure thing laughed
her mother. "But you'll only be mid
! dle-aged when I'm ready TO totter."
ayes, that's So" said Beetrus, sadly.
"And then if one would die and leave
| the other
"Now, now, don't you fret, lovey.
I've had consider'b BILE trouble and ex-
perience, and if | don't sigh round. you
needn't. Who's that nice-looking man
that keeps looking back this way?'
Beetrus had been facing down river,
with her mind completely closed to any
moving figures on deck. She looked
back over her shoulder.
"Whv, it's''-she exclaimed, swal-
lowing her breath with a gasp-''it's
Mr.. Poundstone.
THAT correspondent of yoursP" said
Mrs. jenkins, nodding her head, and
inspecting him sincerely with such
thoroughness as intervening barrels
permitted.
Beetrus' ears rang. She had, how
ever, that instructive Western courage
which sometimes takes the place of dis
ciplined self-control; so by no other clew
than the deepening fire of her cheeks
and eyes did she give Mr. Poundstone
any knowledge of the disturbance he
brought her when he climbed a passage
over impediments and placed himself
in the party His manner was subdued
even becomingly humble and concili-
atory.
"NIa, this is Mr.. Poundstone," said
Beetrus, secretly triumphant in being
free from the subservienoe which yes
tcrday would have made her say: "NIr
Poundstone, this is my MOTHER
She did not add to her unconsidered
formula now, but allowed him to lift
his hat and bow over her mothers S
hand.
I'm glad to meet you, Mrs. Jenk-
ins," said he. ~ want to make friends
with you, and get you to convince your
daughter I'm not such bad fellow as
look"
"You don't look like bad fellow
she responded, heartily.
II didn't know you were going up on
the boat said Beetrus, regarding with
gentle indifference the brim Of his hat,
after he replaced it,